Successful application of highly purified natural interferon alpha (multiferon) in a chronic hepatitis C patient resistant to preceding treatment approaches.

A currently 65-year-old patient with histologically proven chronic hepatitis C and chronic hepatitis B (seroconversion in 1990) and additional compensated cirrhosis of the liver (Child A) achieved sustained complete biochemical and viral response following 5 and 14 months respectively of therapy with highly purified natural leukocyte interferon-alpha (3 x 3 MU weekly, nIFN-alpha, Multiferon). Prior to this treatment, various other therapy approaches including recombinant interferon-alpha2b (rIFN-alpha2b) or a combination of natural interferon-beta (nIFN-beta) and interferon-gamma (rIFN-gamma) had been carried out. Unfortunately, these had been unsuccessful. After a total treatment period of 76 months with nIFN-alpha and a subsequent follow-up period of 30 months, no relapse of chronic hepatitis C occurred. The patient's tolerance of the treatment was excellent and no substantial drug-related adverse events were observed. nIFN-alpha, which - unlike the recombinant IFN-alpha2 preparations - is a mixture of various physiologically expressed IFN-alpha subtypes, could possibly be an alternative in the treatment of difficult-to-treat patients with chronic hepatitis C.